America Has a New Super-Advanced Weapon — Here Are Its Suppliers
The United States has a new weapon to strengthen its military capabilities. The Pentagon is now equating some 3 million civilian and military personnel with generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology specifically designed for defence needs.
The Pentagon has launched a special version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT and xAI’s Grok. Both services are now available through GenAI.mil, the centralised and secure AI portal of the US Department of Defense (DoD).
The Pentagon is providing ChatGPT Gov and Grok for Government, specialised versions of the AI services popular among consumers. Both have been tailored to the needs of military personnel, or “warfighters”.
GenAI.mil itself has been operational since last year. The portal first provided access to Google Gemini and was designed to give Department of Defense employees access to the most advanced commercial AI models without having to send sensitive government data through ordinary consumer channels.
The military versions also avoid the data-collection practices that are difficult to avoid with a number of consumer technology products.
Usage of GenAI.mil is notably high. The US Department of Defense said more than 1.7 million unique users have used the portal, out of roughly 3 million personnel within the department’s environment.
The addition of ChatGPT Gov and Grok forms part of the Pentagon’s efforts to expand the use of AI to accelerate work while enhancing America’s military edge without sacrificing data security.
Meanwhile, ChatGPT Gov originates from the OpenAI for Government programme. The service offers an experience similar to the commercial version of ChatGPT, including conversation features, files, projects and custom GPTs.
According to the US Department of Defense, ChatGPT Gov will assist with routine, document-heavy work that is not classified as confidential information. Its use covers administrative tasks, logistics, planning and policy drafting. The Pentagon also plans to add further features gradually.
The Pentagon described Grok for Government as having a broader scope, including for military operational needs.
“Grok for Government from Starshield AI will deliver immediate productivity gains to service members, stronger knowledge continuity, and safer and more efficient collaboration,” the US Department of Defense said in a statement, as reported by TechCrunch on Monday (7 September 2026).
Starshield AI is SpaceX’s secure satellite network, which uses Starlink technology.
The US Department of Defense said Grok can help the military carry out missions more quickly and precisely across a variety of operational contexts. Its uses range from market research analysis for procurement professionals to supply chain management for logistics personnel.
The Pentagon has not only partnered with OpenAI and xAI. The US Department of Defense has also forged cooperation with a number of other technology companies to strengthen its military AI capabilities, including Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft, Nvidia and Reflection AI.